This invention relates to fluid brake control systems for locomotives, and it more particularly relates to such systems of the direct release type for a freight locomotive.
Locomotive brake systems are generally of the type disclosed in the May U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,561 and in the Wilson U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,565, wherein the system is readily convertible to operate as a passenger locomotive or as a freight locomotive. The principal difference in operation is that passenger train braking systems have graduated release of brake applications, while freight train braking systems have direct release of brake applications. The graduated release requires proportioning valves, and the like, that are not required in the braking systems for freight trains. Because of the reduced demand for passenger train service in general, only a limited number of locomotives are ever used for passenger service, although they have the expensive graduated release apparatus for passenger service which is never used if the locomotives are used only in freight trains.
Therefore considerable savings in cost of original equipment and cost of maintenance of locomotive braking systems used only for freight service can be realized if equipment used only for passenger service can be deleted.
An object of the present invention is to obviate one or more of the limitations and disadvantages of the described prior art systems.
Another object of the present invention is to materially reduce equipment and maintenance costs of braking equipment for a freight locomotive.
Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings, and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses.